FOREVER THANKFUL FOR THE LAGUNA COMMUNITY
Wishing everyone a festive celebration during this time of warmth & gratitude.
COME PLAY OR CHEER AT THE ANNUAL ALUMNI SOCCER GAME

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Hope Ranch Athletic Fields
10:30AM - Warm-Up
11AM - Game
12:30PM - Post Game Pizza Picnic

Whether you played sports in the early days or cheered along the sidelines throughout the decades, we hope you will join us in Hope Ranch for our special Thanksgiving weekend alumni soccer game celebration!

Reservations are appreciated.
 
RSVP to Associate Director of Development Danielle Sekurski or call her at 805.687.1372.
HELP US REACH 100% LAGUNA FUND PARTICIPATION!
Congratulations to the first and fourth grade classes for reaching 100% family participation in the 2019-20 Laguna Fund! A special thanks to our Class Captain parent volunteers Amber and Steve Oritz and Brandi Fraser. As we enter the holidays and the season of giving, we hope all our families will join us in celebrating Laguna with a gift that is meaningful to them.
 
The 2019-20 Laguna Fund supports all aspects of what makes the Laguna experience so specia l o ur teachers, financial aid, the arts, athletics, technology, and our two campuses. If you have already supported the 2019-20 Laguna Fund, THANK YOU! If you have yet to make a gift, you can do so online or by contacting Associate Director of Development Danielle Sekurski at dsekurski@lagunablanca.org or 805.687.1372.
PRIORITY REGISTRATION OPENS 12/2 FOR
LAGUNA'S MASTER BUILDER COMPETITION
MASTER BUILDER COMPETITION
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020
4125 PALOMA DRIVE
12:30-5PM

For Students in Grades K-6 | Awards and Prizes for Winners | LEGO Kit for all Participants | Admission is FREE!

Space is limited and spots will fill quickly!

Registration opens for Laguna community on 12/2 and for the public on 12/5.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
CHILDREN'S INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS ARE COMING
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
3:30-5PM
260 SAN YSIDRO ROAD

Explore our Children's Interactive Workshops featuring art, music, technology, LEGO engineering, and more!

Click on the arrow above for a glimpse into our Early Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs.
GR. 5-12 OPEN HOUSE EVENT IS ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 11
GRADES 5-12 OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11
9:30AM-12PM
4125 PALOMA DRIVE

Open House offers an early exploration of Laguna for students and parents. See our curriculum in action; meet our teachers, administrators, and students; and learn about opportunities and our curriculum at each grade level.

Tell your friends!
CHECK OUT THE FOURTH ESTATE 'S NOVEMBER ISSUE!
CELEBRATE THE SEASON AT LAGUNA'S PARENT HOLIDAY PARTY!
Kindly RSVP to Jessica Tyler by 12/5.
NEED CHILDCARE FOR PARENT HOLIDAY PARTY? 
Drop-off begins at 4:45PM; Pick-up by 7:15PM
Hope Ranch Gym & Multipurpose Room
 
If you are attending the Parent Holiday Party on Saturday, December 7 and need childcare, we've got you covered! Lower School students can enjoy pizza, crafts, and more while you mingle with fellow parents across the street at Braun House. If you're not attending the party, your child is still welcome at this event.
 
A donation of $20 per child ($10 per sibling) is requested and due upon arrival at the gym. Give your kids a fun night out while you enjoy the holiday party.
 
To sign-up, please email or call Darla McDavid at the Lower School office at 805-687-2461 x0410 by Thursday, December 5.
LAGUNA'S STEM PROGRAM SHINES AT MONTECITO UNION STEM NIGHT
Laguna students represented us well at Montecito Union's Family STEM Night this week! The event featured interactive activities from MOXI and Laguna in addition to MUS.

The Laguna team, comprised of STEM Instructor John Pagano and student volunteers Eva Davies '23 , Harrison Jones '22 , and Andreas McClintock '24 , completed almost 50 soldering projects with event attendees, each of which was done one-on-one with an LBS volunteer.

"The three student volunteers we had were AMAZING," says John Pagano. "I cannot say enough good things about them...they truly embody the spirit of Laguna."

Congratulations to this group on a successful outreach event!
INTRODUCING THE "LAGUNA AT WORK" PROGRAM
Our Laguna at Work (LAW) program kicked off successfully last week!

This program requires all seventh graders to investigate ways to make Laguna a better place. After coming up with a list of jobs they could do around campus, each student went through a rigorous application process to be considered for the job they most wanted. The photo above features a member of the Dog Squad, which will take care of the campus dogs and create a safer play area for them. Also pictured are members of the Department of Outreach, who will act as tutors and mentors to the fifth and sixth grade classes.

Other groups include:
  • Department of Agriculture, which provides healthy snacks in the MS and finds productive ways to use extra garden produce
  • Department of Recreation, which plans tournaments for Middle School students during lunch throughout the year
  • Department of Beautification, which improves the appearance of the MS quad and helps find ways to keep it clean

We look forward to watching how this fun program grows!
JOIN THE SUPER BLOOM AT OUR UPCOMING SPRING BENEFIT COMMITTEE MEETINGS!
The Super Bloom is in motion! If you'd like to get involved in one of Laguna's biggest events of the year, please join us at an upcoming planning meeting. All meetings below will take place in the Hope Ranch Gym Foyer. Thank you to event co-chairs Talya Engel & Susan Tyler for leading the charge on what promises to be a successful event!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
8:30AM

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
9AM

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8
8:30AM
UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA PRODUCTION OPENS DECEMBER 12
LAGUNA STUDENTS SHINE IN SB THEATRE COMMUNITY
ASHLY PRYOR STARS IN LEAD ROLE IN STATE STREET BALLET'S THE NUTCRACKER

Laguna Blanca ninth grader Ashly Pryor '23 (pictured) will dance as the lead character, Clara, in State Street Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Granada Theatre this holiday season. Ashly has danced with Gustafson Dance, the official school of the State Street Ballet, since she was three years old. This will be her ninth time dancing in The Nutcracker . She is joined on stage by fellow Laguna schoolmates Kona Castillo '26 (angel), Charlotte Haimerl '26 (mouse), Sloan Brookshire '28 (mouse), Catherine Blabey '30 (little angel), Juliet Bradley '28 (little Chinese), and Cielle Baker '31 (Bon Bon).

NOAH DEHLI PLAYS THE ROLE OF DUKE ORSINO IN TWELFTH NIGHT AT CENTER STAGE THEATRE
As part of his Lights Up! Theatre Company, Noah Dehli '24 will play the role of Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's most hilarious comedy for the holiday season!

LAGUNA BLANCA HUMANITIES PROGRAM ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH STATE STREET BALLET
Two Laguna Blanca juniors, Sophia Webster '21 and Annie Gabler '21 , will be working with State Street Ballet choreographer Cecily MacDougall on an exciting year-long capstone project titled "Decades." Based on Annie Gabler's original concept, the dance performance will take place as part of SSB's Modern Masters show on May 8 and 9. Professional dancers from the State Street company will perform an original work with choreography by MacDougall, set and projections designed by Gabler, and costumes designed by Webster. This collaboration represents the culmination of two academic years of work for the students, who have participated in a wide range of design-based projects in preparation for this, their first professional production. 

SAVE THE DATE! Modern Masters at the New Vic Theater in downtown Santa Barbara on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9, featuring work by Annie Gabler and Sophia Webster as part of the Laguna Blanca School Humanities Research Program.
NATALIE McCAFFERY '20 TO PRESENT AT FOOD & AGRICULTURE GLOBAL SUMMIT IN AMSTERDAM
Through her nonprofit Education Ag Tech, Natalie McCaffery '20 was asked to speak at the Women in Food and Agriculture Summit in Amsterdam this December. Joining together with the world's leading thinkers, practitioners, and academics in the ag and food sectors, the participants will cover a host of issues and focus on how agribusinesses, farms, food, retail companies, and agricultural bodies can work together. "I will be on a panel discussing the opportunities for student engagement in agriculture and the role of women in the ag industry," explains Natalie. She will also be an individual presenter during the innovation hour with the theme of STEM in Ag. Natalie will present her work as part of Laguna's Science Research Program, her Girl Scout Gold Award, and Education Ag Tech. Congratulations and good luck to Natalie on this exciting opportunity to address the role of education and access in the ag industry. 
ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS ARE IN FOR CROSS COUNTRY & GIRLS TENNIS TEAMS!
TENNIS (FRONTIER LEAGUE)

FRONTIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (MVP)
Singles: Katherine Monroy
Doubles: Phoebe Stein/Lucy Cao

2ND TEAM ALL LEAGUE – DOUBLES
Xiaxia Taylor / Nina Wolf

2ND TEAM ALL-LEAGUE – SINGLES
Madeleine Nicks

HONORABLE MENTION
Giovanna Alvarez, Elizabeth Bisno, Ava Rice

COACH OF THE YEAR
Rob Cowell

CROSS COUNTRY (TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE)
 
HONORABLE MENTION
Boys: Kai Nakamura, Caetano Perez-Merchant
Girls: Priscilla Abrego, Daisy Finerock
ALUMNA DANIELLE ABRAMS '16 TAKES HOME NCAA REGIONAL TITLE WITH BOWDOIN VOLLEYBALL TEAM
This girl is on fire!

Congratulations to former Laguna volleyball standout Danielle Abrams '16, who earned a three-set victory over Johnson & Wales to win the the NCAA Regional title on November 17 with the Bowdoin Volleyball team.

Pictured above are the three team captains for the Polar Bears: Dani ( middle), Caro ( left), and Gabby ( right). The little mascot sitting on the trophy has been the good luck charm that the alumnae bring to the big tournaments!

Click here to watch Danielle comment on this exciting game in the recent Bowdoin Volleyball press conference.

Know an alumni in the news or have an alumni update? We'd love to see it! Please email Danielle Sekurski in the Development office with any alumni updates throughout the year.
WHOOO ARE YOU?
NAME: Charlotte Haimerl
CLASS: 2026

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I make my bed.

Describe the next to last photo on your phone's camera roll.
A cricket wireless sim card.

What is your go-to song of the moment?
"You Need to Calm Down" by Taylor Swift

LOOKING AHEAD
L OWER SCHOOL


MON 11/25 - FRI 11/29
Thanksgiving Break School Closed

FRI 11/29
Alumni Soccer Game (11AM)

MON 12/2
Classes Resume

Gr. K-6 Master Builder Competition Registration Opens for LBS community

WED 12/4
Spring Benefit Planning Mtg in HR Gym (8:30AM)

THURS 12/5
Gr. EK-4 Open House (3:30-5PM)

FRI 12/6
LS Trimester 1 Ends

SAT 12/7
Parent Holiday Party at Braun House (5-7PM)
MIDDLE SCHOOL


MON 11/25 - FRI 11/29
Thanksgiving Break School Closed

FRI 11/29
Alumni Soccer Game
(11AM)

MON 12/2
Classes Resume

Gr. K-6 Master Builder Competition Registration Opens for LBS community

Gr. 5 & 6 Field Trip to Reagan Library

TUES 12/3
Middle School Parent Class Visit Day (10:15AM-1PM)

WED 12/4
Spring Benefit Planning Mtg in HR Gym (8:30AM)

FRI 12/6
Gr. 7 Field Trip to the Getty Villa

SAT 12/7
Parent Holiday Party at Braun House (5-7PM)
U PPER SCHOOL


MON 11/25 - FRI 11/29
Thanksgiving Break School Closed

FRI 11/29
Alumni Soccer Game
(11AM)

MON 12/2
Classes Resume

WED 12/4
Spring Benefit Planning Mtg in HR Gym (8:30AM)

Gr. 10 Latin 3/3H Field Trip to Oak Cottage Memory Care (12:40PM)

SAT 12/7
SAT

Parent Holiday Party at Braun House (5-7PM)